


Gangster's paradise

by Enigma_star



Category: Alfie Solomons - Fandom, Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-19 19:37:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14244294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enigma_star/pseuds/Enigma_star
Summary: When Mary Cohen leaves her New York gangster husband and flees to London she might just have gone from bad to worse...Sorry for any language errors, English is not my native language. This is my first piece of work here so please feel free to comment and leave suggestions.





	1. Working 9 to 5

The air was crisp after the recent rain but the pale October sun warmed Marys face as she walked quickly down the grimed cobble streets of Camden. The morning was still early but she was in a hurry to get to the bakery on time. Being late on the first day on the job was not an option and the foreman had warned her that her new boss could have a bit of a temper. 

She was happy and forever thankful for mrs Weizmann for helping her get employment as secretary at a wealthy jewish baker with a reputation all over London. Even though this reputation might not be entirely positive she was still thrilled over the fact that she would soon be able to make her own money and start a new life. 

She had arrived only weeks earlier, totally broke, literally only owning the clothes she wore and a small bag she had hastily packed before fleeing head over heals from her Brooklyn apartment. She spent her last dime on the boat ticket from New York and was lucky that her aunts old friend mrs Wizmann decided to take her in after she escaped the husband she thought would be the end of her. Shivering at the thought of that evil bastard she found herself outside the door of the old bakery. 

A strange smell made it through the cracks of the old wooden door and she took a deep breath, trying to regain some confidence before knocking firmly. 

Mary had once been known as a woman not to be messed with but the recent events, involving a New York gangster husband with a particular fondness of whisky, whores and beating up his wife had made her once solid rock foundation tremble at the core. 

She tried not to think about the fact that this mr Solomons she was going to work for was probably in the same league as her soon to be forgotten husband but she didn’t have much of a choice. As long as she did a good job and kept to herself she thought she could face anything. She took another deep breath closed her eyes and for the first time in a very long time she felt like smiling. Things might work out for the best somehow…

Alfie grunted as he approached the door of the bakery. Where the hell was Ollie when he needed him? His hip was aching and we threw the large wooden door open with a grunt. 

“What the fuck now…?” he growled

His jaw dropped a bit and Alfie, not known for his lack of words, found himself speechless as he stared at the most breathtaking fucking woman he had ever laid his eyes on. Small but curvy in just the right places, a small upturned nose and pink flushed cheeks and there she was outside his fucking bakery with a smile on her face.

He cleared his throat and kept staring, examining her thoroughly and letting his gaze linger shamelessly on her bust. Her chesnut hair was gathered in a bun and freckles were scattered all over her face. Alfie felt an urge to just kiss that sweet little nose of hers right there and then. 

She smirked like she was thinking about something funny and her piercing blue eyes seemed to see right through him. Unlike most women she met his gaze and didn’t look away and finally he felt obliged to speak since she just stood there and looked at him like she needed an explanation of some sort. 

"Uhm, right then" Alfie said and cleared his throat once more. Who the fuck are you? 

Mary who had expected the same Ollie guy she met when signing the contract of employment was a little bit startled when this grumpy and rather handsome man snatched the door open. He seemed to be just as surprised by her presence so she took her time examining him. 

She found herself staring into a pair of amazing greyish eyes and a face covered by a thick beard, revealing a rather nice lip that she wouldn’t mind having a piece of. The sleeves of his shirts were rolled up and she could see some strong looking forearms and lovely hands covered in jewelry and tattoos. She imagined how those hands would feel upon her soft skin… The thought made her already pink cheeks flush a little bit more 

“Mary! Stop that right now. What’s gotten into you! “ Embarrassed to be even thinking these kind of thoughts at this point made her respond a bit more sharply than she meant to.

"I’m Mary Cohen. Mr Solomons new secretary. And who the fuck are you?"


	2. White or brown?

So this was his new secretary! Fuck if this day suddenly didn’t get a lot better... Alfie pondered how long it would be until he would be able to touch her in a little more than friendly way. Those lips were full enough and he sure would love to touch that sweet little ass this very minute. Though he figured that that would probably scare her off....

With a wide grin on his face he finally spoke. 

“Miss Cohen! How lovely” “Sorry for sounding like an old brute. Just wasn’t expecting ya to be so early. Early bird aren’t ya” 

Mary couldn’t piece it together. Who was this man who first cursed at her, then stared her down like a piece of meat and was now grinning widely (showing a set of crooked teeth that somehow just made him more attractive…) “Now stop it Mary, really!”

“ Well I’m Alfie Solomons! So well, guess that means I’m yer boss now, right innit?”

He finally let her in and she was grateful for the dusky light inside the bakery since she was now flushing heavily. 

She couldn’t believe how she would have let such a large number of dirty thoughts cross her mind. Now knowing that it was her bosses mouth she had imagined being all over her body made her feel a more than little embarrassed. Fortunately thoughts couldn’t be read and Mary decided to keep it professional from now on. 

Mr Solomons led her into a cluttered office. As he walked before her she could see he had a bit of a limp and he used a cane that by no means made him look weak, just a bit more interesting. He wasn’t a very tall man but she could understand why his enemies feared him. He definitely had poise and was probably not a man you wanted to fuck with…. unless….

Once again Mary’s own thoughts made her blush. If she was going to act like a flimsy schoolgirl at work she might as well start looking for something new. 

Mr Solomons sat down in a scruffy looking chair behind a very cluttered desk. 

“Right. Welcome to my bakery. Before we get started with all this secretary stuff and all. D’ya want to try some of my bread?” He smirked and locked eyes with her again

Mary knew exactly what kind of bread was being baked in the bakery. In fact that was the whole reason she had gotten the job in the first place. Being used to the gangs of New York she didn’t mind being part of this shady business as long as she was treated properly and got paid regularly.

She wasn’t really used to drinking that early in the morning but she decided to go with it. After all she wasn’t a little girl and she wouldn’t let this man or any man for that matter intimidate her. She was done with that. 

“Why not?” She gave him a sly smirk and didn’t lower her gaze. “Straight from the oven?”

“Hell yeah, as fresh as they come. What d’ya fancy love, white or brown?”

“I’ll have a go at the brown then, thank you”

He opened a dark wooden cupboard and took out a bottle of rum.

“I guessed ya be the quirky type” he said and winked at her as he poured two glasses and handed Mary one of them. 

“Cheers love and welcome to the bakery. I think you’ll like it here” Alfie smiled and gave her another small but still noticeable wink

“Cheers, I’ll do my best to be at your service at all times mr Solomons”

* * *

The following weeks went flying fast and winter was soon upon them. The days grew darker and the bakery was freezing at times but Mary found herself enjoying work and she was beginning to feel as if she was quite good at it. 

Hours were long and she worked hard to keep up with Mr Solomons never ending piles of paper and scribbled notes that he scattered all over the place but she enjoyed work and the company. It took about three weeks until Alfie had finally gotten his way and made Mary call him Alfie instead of Mr Solomons and while spending time together in the office some kind of friendship had formed. Ollie and the other workers at the bakery were all very nice to Mary and she had put herself in respect by not taking any shit from Alfie or backing down during some of his mood swing. She had definitely experienced worse and was determined to not take shit from any man, especially not the kind of man that sent electric sparks down her spine just by toughing her forearm briefly.... 

Even though she had first been caught a bit off guard with her boss shamelessely flirting with her she kept her professional distance knowing that she would just get herself in trouble by getting too involved. 

Mary sat down behind her desk in the corner of the office she shared with her boss. She just wanted to wrap some things up before leaving for the day. Alfie was out on some business meeting and to be honest the reason she wouldn’t leave the office just yet might be because she wanted to know he was alright before she headed back home. 

It was dark and outside the december rain had turned into snow. Big fluffy flakes fell down outside the dirty windows and she suddenly felt tired. Mary took of her shoes and rubbed her feet, aching after a long day at work. The bakery was empty and the men had gone home to their families hours ago. She was thankful for mrs Weizmanns hospitality but she wasn’t family and Mary suddenly felt a sting of loneliness. Would anyone miss her if she would just dissapear?

Mary tried to shrug it off. “Don’t be silly” she thought “you have a perfectly good life here, things could be a lot worse had you stayed in New York with that no good husband of yours”. 

By now the office was freezing and the wind just seemed to grow heavier so she decided to wrap herself in a blanked and finish up work from Mr Solomons rugged old sofa. 

She must somehow have dozed off but she suddenly awake when someone stumbled in to the darkly lit room and literally almost sat down on her. 

“Hell woman! What the fuck are ya doing here at this hour? sleeping in the office are ya?”

Mary felt her cheeks blush. She didn’t really plan on Alfie walking in on her sound asleep on his couch. Then she realized he was bleeding from a cut on his right cheek, his fists were bruised and he had blood stains all over his shirt. 

“What happened?” She asked firmly while looking him in the eyes

“Ah, nothing. Just them pikeys stirring up trouble again. Nothing to worry about. Anyway, shouldn’t ya be home by now?”. Solomons grunted and she noticed he looked tired sitting at the end of the couch.

“Ah, I was just finishing up when I thought I’d sit here with the blanket because of the cold. Must have fell asleep… let me take a look at that cut”

“Nah, just a scratch. Don’t fuss woman!” 

Mary ignored him and went over to the cabinet where she found a clean rag. She poured them each a glass of rum and dipped the rag in the liquor before sitting down fronting him. 

She handed him a glass with a warm smile.

”Drink up, this will sting a little…”

Alfie downed his drink in one big gulp while Mary put the rag to his chin. He twitched and grunted but tried to sit still while she cleaned the wound. 

”Pour me another one will ya love?”

Mary refilled his glass and he raised it to her.

”Cheers. To extremely useful secretaries…” 

”No fuss ok…?” Mary downed her drink and couldn’t help but smile and wink at him as he looked at her with his puppy eyes.


	3. What didn't happen...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up in the office...

Alfie let up a small growl and suddenly their faces where only inches apart. She could feel the rum on his breath and found herself staring at those lush lips of his.

”Fuck woman, d’ya know what yer doing to me now do ya?”

Alfie let his hand follow the curve of her neck and Mary felt herself shiver with pleasure. She knew she should not let this be happening but she couldn’t make herself move. Instead she met his gaze and finally felt those lips on hers. Soft and wanting. He tasted sweet of rum, a bit woody and a hint of blood. His soft beard tickeled her neck and she decided to just let it happen.

Mary buried her hands in Alfies hair and brought him closer allowing him to deepen the kiss, knowing she would definitely regret this later. She felt his hand on her lower back and couldn’t help but moan as he drew her closer, making her straddle him there on the couch.

”liking this aren’t ya?”Alfie smiled and raised a brow before moving down to kiss her neck. 

God he had been waiting so long to to taste those lips.  
He could feel her nipple harden under the thin blouse as he cupped her breast while placing numerous kisses over her neck and shoulder.

He let his other hand squeeze her firm little bum and she arched and panted in his ear…

”Alfie… stop it. We can’t…”

One more hungry kiss and she let go of him, moving to the other side of the brown leather sofa.

God she was beautiful. Strands of curly chestnut hair flowing free down her back and around her face, freckles almost glowing when the moonlight found its way on to her skin. Alfie felt the urge to find out what the rest of her body looked like, already having felt the sensation of one of her full breasts. 

She looked at him and spoke calmly even though he could see her chest was still pink from the heat and scratches of his beard…

”Sorry Alfie, now you know how I feel but we can’t do this. I’m a grown woman and I need this job. Ain’t gonna fuck it up by….” She sighed and continued. “Fucking the boss ok?”

Mary felt his gaze burning right through her but she looked him straight in the eyes. If he didn’t see how much she wanted him right then he must be blind although Mary got the feeling he could read every single thought going through her head. Her eyes betraying her, letting him know that she really, really just wanted his hands all over her body right now but she stayed firm… waiting for him to speak.

“Right, right…. uhm. Sorry about that love. Got a bit carried away didn’t we? Let me take ya home, looks like it’s going to be a hell of a storm out there soon….”

“Sure” Mary smiled and felt grateful that he didn’t try to convince her to go further. It took all her willpower to move away from him and she reckoned she wouldn’t be able to stay away if he’d push her buttons again. 

Alfie put his strong hand on her sholder, bringing her closer, still looking her straight in the eyes.

“Let’s not talk about this ok. What didn’t happen didn’t happen…” “But if ya change yer mind ya know where to find me right love?”. He smirked at her, stood up leaning his cane and stretched out his arm…  
“Come on love, let’s get ya home right?”


	4. East end girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary gets to know the girls at the bakery…

They never talked about what happened but not thinking about it proved impossible. Mary tried her best by burying herself in work and Alfie seemed to be out on a lot of business meetings which made Mary se a lot less of him during the following weeks. 

She decided that it was about time she made some new friends and so she started getting to know the other girls at the bakery. Well the girls working in the actual bakery, baking and selling bread. 

There was Rachel, a funny blonde skinny girl. Always the center of the party and since she was a former ballet dancer she completely loved all forms of dancing. Then there was Vanna who was the total opposite of Rachel. Short, chubby and rather shy but she had the most beautiful dimples and was definitely the most intelligent of the three. She only worked at the bakery to make money to be able to go to the university. Her family had disowned her when she refused to marry some old rich fart so she came to work in Camden.

Every friday the girls met at the pub for some drinks and after that they usually continued to one of clubs. 

“Oh my god” Rachel sat down at the table and took a sip of her gin drink. She giggled and laughed “Ya’ll not believe what just happened”

“Oh come on tell us! What?” Vanna was excited to hear about the latest suitor or whatever now happened to Rachel who seemed to be the center of attention wherever she went.

“Oh shut up, I’ll tell ya” Rachel giggled. “When I was just getting ready to leave the bakery Mr Solomons walked in. Don’t really know what he was doing in the bakery but he’s actually been there a lot lately…” Rachel took a deep breath as she took another gulp of her drink. 

Mary felt a big lump forming in her throat. She hadn’t seen much of Alfie lately but apparently he had been spending time with the girls in the bakery. “Silly girl”, she thought. “Why wouldn’t he? It’s his bakery and it’s not like he’s not allowed to talk to other women anyway” 

“Did you hear what I said Mary? You’re not listening!” 

Mary snapped out of her own thoughts

“He was looking at me like he wanted to eat me up alive or something” Rachael laughed out loud “and then he asked me if I wanted to go to the races with him this weekend”

“I mean you spend a lot of time with him being his secretary and all but don’t you think he is incredibly handsome?”

Mary managed to put on a smile “Well, not really my type I’d say” She said knowing that was far from the truth. Alfie was definitely her type but on the other hand she had always had a bad taste in men, considering her husband almost had her killed…

“I’m going to the races with Mr Solomons! Can you believe it?”

The girls laughed and kept ordering more drinks but mary just couldn’t wait for the evening to be over. Having her friend swoon over Alfie was more than she thought she could stand.

* * *

Eventually there was spring. The sunlight and birds singing made the cloudy dark thoughts leave Marys mind and she was content that in spite of the apparent tension between her and Alfie the pair of them got along fine at work. He seemed to trust her enough to get to know the important parts of his business and in his part he was actually glad to have a secretary he could share these things with.

Alfie grunted as he stared at the never ending piles of shit threatening to completely overtake his desk at any moment now.

Mary was good help, in fact she had managed to turn things around and kept everything in meticulous order but with the recent orders coming up from America business was just busier than ever meaning they had to work day and night to keep on top of things.

Hell, he needed a break from everything and he bet she did too. Alfie let his mind drift as he sat in his chair scratching his beard. Maybe a weekend up at Margate should do it. He loved the long walks by the ocean, letting the salty air wash away all the filthy trouble he seemed to be caught up in here in London. If it wasn’t the Sabinis it was the Shelbys. Fucking trouble that was. 

“Fuck it!” A long nice weekend by the beach, picnics, a good bottle of wine by the fireplace, making love in front of said fireplace…. The way things had played out recently he doubted that she would fancy a romantic getaway with him though. “Ya fucking wanker!”. 

He had tried pushing the thought Mary to the back of his mind, which wasn’t easy since she was around him at all times walking around in those nicely fitted dresses showing off her perk little ass. Then he tried finding excuses for not being in the office. Spending a lot of time in meetings and trying to hook up with some of the girls in the bakery. Which wasn’t hard considering they all practically swooned over him but he just couldn’t find them interesting enough to go any further with any of them. So here he was planning a romantic getaway with what seemed to be the only woman in the building not willing to be a part of those plans.

Mary walked in on Alfie sitting in his chair, scratching his beard, his half moon glasses resting on the tip of his nose. He seemed so caught up in his own thoughts not really taking notice of her as she walked in with a large stack of books and papers under both arms.  
Not noticing the big dog sound asleep just in front of the office door she tripped and watched as her papers and books sort of flew in slow motion before crashing down right before Alfies nose. 

“Fucking hell! She blurted out. Angry at herself for making an even bigger mess of everything. She already had massive amounts of work to do and now there would be even more, sorting out the papers she had already spent most of the day organizing and putting together in neat piles. All for nothing. 

Alfie looked up on her under his glasses with a smirk on his face. Her forehead was covered in small drops of sweat, her cheeks all rosy, her brows furrowed as tears piled up in her eyes.

“Careful with the language love. One could imagine you’re turning into a jewish old gangster now…” 

Seeing him make fun of her suddenly made her loose the last bit of self-control she had been building up during the last couple of months.

“Don’t you fucking laugh at me Alfie Solomons” She shouted and pinned him down with her gaze, showing him just how angry she was with him right now.

It wasn’t just that he had her working night and day running his bakery-business (well the illegitimate part of the bakery business anyway). She was frustrated that in spite of the agreement not to not talk about what happened that night in the office he wouldn’t stop looking at her that way that made her blood boil a bit. She knew now that it was just his way around women, all women, which just made her even more mad at herself for not being able to let it go. 

“Don’t ya fucking look at me like that!” She couldn’t stop the tears from filling her eyes so she just kept going. “Ya know what yer doing right but don’t think for a moment that I will fall for yer little act. I’m done with ya and I’m taking the rest of the day off. Just leave the papers at my desk and I’ll take care of it tomorrow”.

Mary stormed out of the office and slammed the door, leaving Alfie speechless not knowing what the hell that was all about.


	5. Diamonds are a girl's best friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Events take an unexpected turn...

Mary had agreed to meet the girls for drinks at the pub that evening, hoping that Rachel would not spend the entire evening going on about the physical features of Mr Solomons she still wanted a night out. She needed to take her mind off of things and some drinks and dancing would do her good. 

Mary sat down by her dresser, brushed her curly chestnut hair now cut in a fashionable short bob and slipped in to a beautiful pale blue slip that she bought as a celebration when getting her first pay check from the bakery. 

The slip hugged her form beautifully although she had put on a bit of weight since arriving to London. Her bust felt heavier and most of her skirts were now tighter around the bottom than a few months earlier. She didin’t mind though, feeling strong and confident and sure that she could take care of herself just fine if she could just get that annoying boss of hers out of her head. 

Suddenly her doorbell rung. She had been able to move out of the guest room at mrs Weizmann to her own small apartment but she hadn’t really had anyone visit her there yet. 

She hastily put on the lavendar sequined dress she was wearing for the evening and ran down the stairs. Had to be one of the girls stopping by.

When Mary opened the door Alfie was genuinely stunned. She had a beautiful lavendar dress on, her hair was glowing and she resembled some kind of film star. She seemed to be surprised to see him too so for a second or so she just stared at him. 

“What can I do for ya Alfie? I just left work and I'm not planning on going back tonight” 

“Planning a night out are ya?” He smirked and couldn’t help but seeing her blush as he let his gaze linger on her amazingly perfect body. 

“Well I’m not planning on doing any transcripts or whatever, as you can probably tell” She pressed her lips together and looked at him as if he was annoying her profoundly when he was actually making her knees weak by just looking at her. 

“Sorry about that, I’m not planning on dragging ya cute little ass back to the office now” his crooked smile seemed to make her go insane again. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone

“Can I come in?” 

She let him in, led him up the narrow stairs and into the minimal kitchen. She reckoned it would be the most suitable place to talk to her boss since the other room basically consisted of a dresser and a bed and she was definitely not going to talk to him sitting on the bed.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting company” “Ya want tea or something?”

Alfie laughed, showing his crooked front tooth and actually looking content.

“Nah love, just stopped by to give ya something” He took out a small velvet box and handed it to Mary

“I know the last months have been difficult. Lots of work and all..” He scratched his beard and didn’t seem to know how to continue. “Just wanted to give ya something, as appreciation that’s all”. 

Mary was left speechless as she opened the box. There was a perfect set of earrings in white gold, adorned with diamonds and in the middle of each earring a tear drop shaped sapphire. Mary gasped. 

“I can’t. I mean. They are precious but ya shoudn’t….”

Alfie dropped his gaze. Mumbeling, hardly audible…

“No please, I want ya to wear them” “When I saw them I couldn’t help but thinking of yer beautiful blue eyes…” He cleared his throat. 

“I know things have been tense but is there any way ya could consider…” He didn’t finish the sentence. Alfie just didn’t know what to say. He wanted this woman so bad and the last months had made it very clear that he couldn’t do anything to get her out of his mind.

“They are beautiful Alfie!” In an instant she had wrapped her arms around his neck. Giggeling. He felt the warmth of her body through the thin dress and couldn’t bare to break out of the hug. Feeling her body wrapped around him he wished he could just stand there forever. Finally she let him go but instead of moving away she looked up at him, searching his gaze

“Ya are an amazing man Mr Solomons…”

“Nah, ya call me Alfie right” 

“Ok Alfie” She sighed “What do ya want?” 

“Ya know what I want. What I wanted since I first saw ya stand there outside the fucking bakery with that silly smirk on ya face..” “I can’t think of anything else… it’s fucking awful being so close to ya all the time, not being able to touch ya… ya know?”

Mary wrapped her arms around Alfies neck again, searching his mouth, savouring the taste of his lips before whispering in his ear...

“Don’t fucking hurt me Alfie Solomons, promise me that...”

* * *

Alfie sat behind his desk scratching his beard. Things had been going quite good lately. Working with the americans was a real goldmine. The demand for his bread seemed to grow bigger day by day due to the prohibition. And today he had a meeting with one of the New York wankers. 

Mary was going through her massive piles of work in an infuriating tempo. She really just wanted to be done so she could get home, take a long nice bath and maybe have a glass of wine. The week had been hell and there seemed to be no end of the amount of work Alfie had her do. 

Alfie's hip was aching again and he let out a small grunt when he stood up, making Mary lift her head from behind the pile of books and papers. 

Since the kiss in her kitchen things had been a little more comfortable around here but still he found Mary a distraction, making it hard to focus on work. Now she was sitting behind her desk wearing just a short sleeved blouse and black pencil skirt that showed off her bottom in a way that made his pants tighten whenever he looked at her. 

“Did you need anything Alfie?”

“Yeah, um… that's right. Come here”

Mary stepped over to Alfie with a smile on her face and a furrowed brow. 

“You know I’m busy doing your fucking books and translating your scribbles into something that can actually be read, so now what?”

“I want you to put yer pretty little ass on my desk and let me bang ya right here” He pointed firmly with one of his long nice fingers at his desk looking at her like it was some kind of business proposal. 

“You know the deal Alfie, no mixing business with pleasure. If that’s what you want you should court me like a proper lady you know” Mary sat down at the very end at the desk with crossed legs and a smirk on her face trying to figure out just what Alfie was up to this time.

“Alright, alright…. as the proper lady you are. I’m not just gonna bang ya right here, first I will make ya real comfortable, using all the available tools, including me hands and me mouth, how about that now?” He leaned in further, leaving only a few inches between their faces and looked her right in the eyes with a frown and a pout that made her want to just take a bite of him.

“I can do with the hands and mouth, but there will be no office banging on my watch, I tell you that Alfie Solomons” 

He leaned in and kissed her, wrapped one strong arm around her waist, leaning on the other one against the desk. His lips were incredible soft but the power behind the kiss took her breath away and she felt her head spin a little.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Ollie clearing his throat…

“uhm, sorry to disturb but your meeting is here…”

“What the fuck Ollie! Can’t ya see I’m busy here” Alfie growled “ Just barging in on people that’s what ya do do ya? Your mother never taught ya any manners what so ever ya fucking wanker” He let go of Mary who was now blushing heavily and turned to Ollie.

“And what the fuck is he doing here already? Give us a minute alright?”

Ollie, who seemed to be just as uncomfortable as Mary around the whole situation, left the office and closed the door thoroughly. 

“We’ll finish later love” Alfie said with a wink as she sat down behind her desk again “I’ll need ya to take notes on this one and when this meeting is over and done with I’ll take ya out do dinner like a proper lady and then you’ll go home with me and I’ll let ya know what I can do went me mouth and hands yeah?”

Mary couldn’t stop blushing.

“Enough with the dirty talk Alfie, we have a business meeting. Behave and I might just let ya take me to dinner. Deal?”

Another knock on the door and Ollie entered followed by a large man wearing a black coat and a hat.There was something familiar about him but Mary didn’t see his face from her place behind the corner desk. 

“Welcome mr Cohen!” Alfie turned to Mary. “Mr Cohen is from New York? You related by chance?” 

When he turned her head and looked at her Mary thought she was going to be sick. Under the brim of the black hat she noticed a pair of expressful brown eyes she knew very well. She froze, didn’t know what to say as a thousand different thoughts went through her head all at once. The man turned to Alfie

“She's my wife”


	6. Mr Cohen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When shit hits the fan...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI I’m picturing Aaron Cohen as a brown eyed young Michael Madsen

The meeting had been a fucking disaster, Mary not remembering much of what had happened but eventually the men had reached some kind of agreement. 

Although Alfie had been nothing but his own professional grunty and rude self Mary could feel his eyes burning a hole right through her. When they were done he had just left the office without a word and slammed the door shut so hard she thought it was going to drop from it’s frame.

Of course Aaron had been waiting for her when she left the bakery. She really didn’t want to talk to him but agreed to meet him later at the pub that night. She wasn’t scared of him in spite of everything that had happened. 

It felt like a lifetime ago but the thought of the night when he had her beaten up so bad she couldn’t see on her left eye for over a week still made her throat dry and her eyes water up. 

Aaron was usually only violent when he drank and she figured she could handle him in a public place like a pub but as a matter of fact they needed to sort things out and if he agreed to a divorce she would be able to go on with her life for real this time. 

Thinking about sorting things out. Mary felt hopeless thinking about Alfie. When things had finally started to feel good it all just turned to shit. 

“Fuck it” she thought. He could go to hell for all that mattered. She wasn’t really up to letting another man ruin her life. Her fondness of violent gangsters was actually turning her life into shit and she needed to get out of it. Maybe she should try to find a new job? At least it would help getting Alfie Solomons out of her head. And sight. 

She poured herself a glass of wine, sitting at the dresser brushing her hair and trying to get the puffiness out of her eyes. A nice make up and dress was necessary to build up the confidence she was absolutely not feeling at this point. Mary looked at the beautiful blue earrings, pondering if she could wear them. They made her feel like a million dollars which she could really need right now. 

On the other hand also made her think of Alfie and how sweet he was under all that cocky gangster boss act he put on most of the time. “What the hell, a gift is a gift” She decided to wear the earrings.

* * *

The pub was crowded but she had no trouble spotting Aaron. He was sitting at a table with a beer in front of him. “Damn he looks good”. Despite of everything that had happened he still sent electric sparks down her spine. When Mary entered the pub Aaron lit up, a smile crossed his face and he looked at her with those brown puppy eyes of his. 

“Rum for the lady and another beer for me please” 

Mary sat down by the table across Aaron, just looking at him trying to figure out the mixed feelings going through her body.

“Hi Mary, it’s been a while” Aaron took a sip of his beer. His white shirt slightly open, not wearing a tie. She could see the hair twirl around the golden chain around his neck. 

“Yes it has” Mary answered calmly, trying to figure out how to deal with this. She had hated this man for so long and she wasn’t prepared for the internal turmoil him turning up like this caused her. 

“I’m sorry Mary. For things you know. Allt the shit that happened” Aaron looked down on his hands like he was trying to find the right words.

“But we belong together. You know that. When I saw you today I… I didn’t know how to react. I’ve missed you so much baby...”  
He looked at her with those beautiful brown eyes. She could count the wrinkles on his forhead, his brown hair falling down above one eye… 

“Aaron. You know it’s too late for that now” 

The barmaid came over with drinks on a tray and Mary let one finger stroke the brim of the glass, trying to clear her head. What the fuck was she going to say now? 

She took a big gulp of her rum, feeling the burning sensation in her throat. She couldn’t go back to him although she wanted to believe things could change. That things could be what they were when they got married. But she knew it wasn’t going to happen.

8 years had passed. She was only 19 when they got married. What did she know. She was grateful they never managed to have any children although they almost did. The thought of the stillborn perfect little baby boy in her arms made her eyes tear up. “Don’t go there”. Mary took another sip of rum, closed her eyes and sighed.

* * *

Alfie sat at the dark corner of the pub, feeling the urge to do something. Knock someone dead or whatever. 

He felt betrayed, belittled and furious of letting that woman get to him. And now she was sitting in his pub talking to what apparently was her husband, not that she had mentioned being married or anything. And still he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He saw her close her eyes, looking tired but content. He knew he had to leave before he did something irrational. 

* * *

“Baby” Aaron took Marys hand and stroke her palm with his thumb. “Tell me what to do, how can I make things better. You know we belong together. I want you to come back to New York with me”

Mary felt the tears burn behind her eyelids again. 

New York. How she missed her hometown, her friends back in Borough Park, going to the synagogue, even their little rat hole of a flat. She could almost feel the smells of the city, not like the dampness of Camden but the mixture of bread, garbage and hot asphalt on a warm august day, the kids playing half naked on the streets. 

“No Aaron. I want a divorce. I’m not coming back with you”. Mary could hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth but she was firm. Decisive. She stood up. “Thank you for the drink Aaron but I’m not going anywhere with you, let’s settle this before you go back ok? I will find a lawyer and we will sort it out”. 

She walked out of the pub with her head held straight, looking a lot more confident than she felt at that point.


	7. Hello darkness my old friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just go from bad to worse don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a lot of violence and it's not nice so if it's a trigger you should skip it.

It was dark when Mary finally stood on the narrow back street in front of her apartment building. The summer night was warm and damp but still she felt like she was freezing from the inside. She needed a hot bath and a good night's sleep. In fact she thought about staying inside all weekend, not leaving the bed until she had to be at work on monday. 

Instead of going home right after meeting Aaron at the pub she kept wandering the streets of Camden, thinking about the mess she was in and the necessary steps she had to take. A couple of hours later her feet ached but her mind had cleared and she picked up her keys to unlock the door.

Before she could let herself in she felt someone grab her from behind. A strong arm around her neck choked her to the point where she was gasping for air. A soft whisper in her ear. 

“You fucking cunt. You think you can get away with anything don’t you?”

She knew that voice. Knew that whatever happened next she would have no chance stopping it. Preparing for the pain, praying in her head he would let her live. Then it all exploded. Lightnings of pure pain, punch after punch. She felt her head hit the cobble stoned street, things cracked and broke and she curled up into a ball, covering her head with her arms trying to shield herself from the raw violence. Finally it all went black.

* * *

Mary shivered. The night breeze had somehow woken her up. She could feel the cold cobble on her cheek, the dried salty tears, and she prayed to god she wasn’t broken so bad she wouldn’t be able to get up to her bed. She tried to sit up, her head pounding heavily she felt the world spinning fast. She had to throw up. 

Kneeling there on the street, throwing up whatever was left to throw up she felt blood running down the inside of her thighs. That bastard. She didn’t want to know what he’d done to her this time and felt sort of relieved that she had managed to pass out during the mayhem of kicks and strokes that was Aarons signature after a couple of drinks. 

The pain was one thing, she could live with that. But the humiliation. Sitting on her knees, bloody, torn and beaten blue, vomiting and not being able to defend herself. Left on the street like a pile of garbage. Even the tears had gone dry, she felt like there was nothing left inside of her. She wanted out. Out of this life, out of this world. 

Mary managed to drag her aching body up the stairs. She checked the lock at least three times before she finally got her torn dress of and crashed down on the bed. Freezing in spite of the warm weather, her abdomen was burning as if it was on fire and every breath hurt. She really needed to sleep.

* * *

Alfie was in a particularly bad mood this morning. Shouting att Ollie and everyone that crossed his path, not being able to concentrate on a fucking thing at hand. 

Of course he had counted on her being here this morning. Even though things ended bad he knew she was realiable as a fucking watch, showing up on time every fucking morning, never been late once had she? 

He needed to talk to her, listen to what she had to say and make her tell him exactly what she was up to. But there was no way he could listen to her if she wasn’t there was it?

Alfie growled and shoved some papers to the floor. He was in over his head and he knew it. Not able to handle this shit he just about handled everything else he just didn’t know what to do. If he could just talk to her maybe they could make it right. Hell, he didn’t even care for that wanker husband of hers. Fuck him, there had to be a reason she was in London while he was still in New York. 

Alfie made a decision, he was going to find out what the hell was going on.

“I’m going out Ollie! “ He yelled and slammed the door shut.

* * *

The pounding in her head just wouldn’t stop.  
Mary had been drifting in and out of sleep. She didn’t know if it was day or night or how long she had actually been laying in bed. She knew she had been up to make tea at some point, also up vomiting after having tea but she was actually quite out of it. 

Suddenly she froze. It wasn’t only her head pounding. It was someone at the door. “Shit” what if it was Aaron. What if he was here to finish her up for good this time? She tried to peak out the window without letting herself be seen but couldn’t see who was outside the door. 

“Come on love, open up! I saw the curtain move right!”

It was Alfie. Mary was relieved. Then realised that there was no way she could let him see her like this. At her most vulnerable. She looked awful, her face all swollen with a blue eye, possibly a broken nose.

She walked slowly down the stairs, her ribs aching with each painful steps, then sat down at the end of the stairs. 

“I’m sorry Alfie, I don’t feel very good” she said through the door

“Now come on love, I really have to talk to ya, why weren’t ya at the office today?”

“Please Alfie, I can’t let you in” Mary heard her own voice crack and let out a sob. She was so very tired

“Mary…?” 

There was silence. But she didn’t hear him walk away. Did he just stand there outside her door? 

Mary opened the door slightly and peaked out. There was Alfie scratching his beard, looking a bit lost. When he saw her face his eyes widened. 

“What the hell! What happened to ya love?” 

Mary opened the door a bit more, letting him in before crashing into his arms. Letting him hold her as her tears started wetting his shirt. She was sobbing so heavily she thought she would stop breathing. Alfie just stood there. Holding her, stroking her back and kissing her at the top of her head. 

“Ok, listen love. It’s going to be alright. I’d never hurt ya. It’ll be alright”

They stood in the narrow hallway for what felt like an eternity. Then Alfie picked her up gently and she let a small sigh of pain out as he carried her up the stairs and put her down on the bed. 

“Just ya rest and I’ll take care of ya right?

Mary passed out again before she could sense the pillow under her cheek


	8. Egg man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit longer than the rest but I think you'll like the ending of it (NSFW)

When Mary woke again she could see the sun shining in, leaving long shadows on her sheets. Had to be late afternoon. A warm breeze hit her through the slightly open window and she felt the smell of lovely fried eggs from the kitchen. She let out a small groan while trying to sit up in the bed.

Then Alfies appeared, leaning against her bedroom door frame. Awfully handsome as ever his brows were furrowed and his lower lip pouted from under that scrappy looking beard of his. She loved the sight of him right now, looking at her with a worried frown on his face.

“You up already? Hungry are ya?”

Mary nodded slightly. Cleared her throat that felt as dry as if she had been in bed with the fucking Sahara. 

“Ehrm… what day is it Alfie?”  
“Tuesday it is” He smiled as he sat down at the edge of her bed. “Did me best not to wake ya but you’ve been sleeping like a fucking log you have”. 

Mary couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Sorry, I feel a bit lost but what are you doing here?”

“Looking after ya of course. Wouldn’t want me best secretary go to waste because of some wife-beating nog good American wanker now would I?”

She took his hand, held it and stroke it gently but couldn’t quite stand meeting his gaze. 

“Thank you Alfie, really” she said in a soft voice trying not to cry. She felt so dry inside. 

“No trouble at all really” he said and kissed her softly at the top of her head. “Well I’ve made some eggs for ya and a nice cup of tea. I’ll put it here by the bed. Have to go back to the bakery to pick up some things but I’ll be back here before ya know it. Taking ya to my place I am”.

“Oh no you shouldn’t Alfie…” “really I can take care of myself”.

Alfie looked at her, pinning her down with his gaze, pouting and shaking his head. 

“Look, I know you’re a very capable woman but right now ya need some watching over. I have a perfectly good spare bedroom at my place and that way I can take care of ya and still get some work done right” He put her arms around her gently, whispering in her ear “I’d never lay a hand on ya, you have my word… and the one who did this will regret it for a long time ya hear?” 

Mary nodded. Her head pressed against Alfies chest, she could hear his heart beat steadily. It made her feel warm and safe. 

“Now eat your eggs and I’ll come pick ya up within the hour”

* * *

Mary hadn’t been to the bakery in over a week. She was feeling her body heal and the concussion she probably had was gone. Parts of her body, including her face was still covered in bruises in different stages of blue green and yellow but all in all she felt safe staying at Alfies house. 

He spent most of the days working from his library and when he had to leave the house his big old dog Cyril kept her company, refusing to leave her side. She was actually growing quite fond of the big drooling thing. 

They would spend most evenings in the library, sitting in front of the fireplace talking. 

Alfie would tell Mary about growing up in Camden, the poverty, the violence and eventually the war. And Mary would tell stories from New York, about the jews in Brooklyn, the smells, sounds and life in the big city. 

They talked about all the good things and the bad things and she even told Alfie about her Simon. The perfect little beautiful boy who never got to take a single breath. And he held her when she cried, wiped her tears and told her over and over again that things would be better. That he would take care of her and make sure no one would ever hurt her again.

“Do you think you can help me sort out the divorce?” She said one evening, sitting on the floor in front of the open window, feeling the smooth stroke of the warm summer breeze.

“Sure ya don’t want me to make ya a widow then?” He asked half serious…

Mary shook her head “No, it’s not worth it” Mary said “Besides you don’t really want to kill a business partner”

Alfie looked at her as if she had said something hilarious “You can’t do business with some wanker beating up women now can ya? Already found another American to deliver my rum to the thirsty bastards over there….”

* * *

Three weeks had passed and Mary was still staying at Alfies townhouse. He had somehow managed to get Aaron to agree to the divorce which might have had something to do with an encounter he allegedly had with a nasty gang of London jews before he sailed back to New York. 

By now Mary was getting restless and anxious to get back to work. She needed to do something and she also felt quite frustrated living along Alfie. Since she moved in he hadn’t made any advances on her, in fact his usually obnoxious flirting was gone and he was being nothing but a gentleman. As much as Mary enjoyed his company she was getting tired of being treated like a porcelain doll and Alfies presence started to make her uncomfortable. 

She stood by the door frame to the library looking at Alfie hunched over, elbows on his desk and glasses on his nose. He seemed totally engulfed in something, tapping with one of his index fingers.

She had really gotten to know him better these few weeks and standing here observing him almost made her heart break. His body was strong and she saw the muscles on his forearm move as he was scratching his soft ginger coloured beard. He had the most amazing eyes but she knew she was going to have to leave at some point or another. 

He gazed up on her as she stepped in to the library and sat down at the edge of his desk. 

“I think I’m ready to go back to my place now” She said. Feeling a bit sad that their time together had come to an end. 

Alfie stood up in front of her, placed his hands on each side of her head and spoke softly.  
“Alright, if ya need to go, ya need to go…” “But I would love for ya to stay”  
He held her gaze and gave her a soft kiss on her lips and Mary felt her frustration grow even more. 

“Why do you have to be such a gentleman all of a sudden?” She replied with another kiss, forcing him to come closer and he put one leg between hers , hunching over her, resting one arm on the desk. 

“Didn’t wanna hurt ya that’s all…” 

He deepened his kiss and now her hands was all over him, getting rid of his waistcoat and unbuttoning his shirt. Mary could see the muscles of his chest moving as he was breathing more rapidly. 

“Fuck woman, do you really want to do this?” He said, knowing that there was little he could do to stop it if they continued, already feeling the throbbing sensation in his crotch. 

“I’ve wanted it since I first saw you Alfie…” “Besides, you once promised me you’d show me what you could do with your hands and mouth remember?” Mary gave him a teasing smile while putting her hand between his legs…. “I don’t completely turn you off now do I?” She raised one of her eyebrows…

“I’ll give ya for turn off…” Alfie smirked and almost giggled before shutting her up with another kiss. He bit her lip slightly, driving her almost mad. She just didn’t think she could keep it together much longer. So many months of lust and want and fantasies about this man, there was no way she was backing out now.

They somehow made it up to the bedroom. Alfies bedroom. It smelt wonderful, musky and manly just like him. Still half dressed with his shirt and waist coat lost somewhere along the way Alfie unbuttoned Marys dress and lay her down on her back on his big fluffy bed. 

“Finally…. I’ve been waiting to taste ya” Alfie smiled and kept sprinkling his kisses all over her belly and down to her thighs. Painfully slow he then removed her knickers and started kissing her mound making her whimper and arch, begging him not to stop.

He kept kissing, licking and sucking, playing with her pearl until she thought she just couldn’t stand it any more. Then he slowly entered a finger stroking her while sucking her button. She could feel the explosion coming closer and with a small cry she let it all go. 

“Told ya I was good with me mouth right?” Alfie gave her a wink and started undressing. She gasped at the sight of his throbbing cock, just wanting him to be inside her right now.  
Slowly he mounted himself over her pushing the head of his cock into her wet center.

He thought he was going to come right that second and had to use all his remaining willpower to go nice and slow. Then with a single push he was inside her and he could feel her building up once again, wiggling and panting “Oh please fuck me hard Alfie”. The want was almost too much for them both and within a few minutes Mary could feel her second release explode as he filled her up completely.


	9. What's going on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter. I'm definitely not comfortable writing smut so I decided to end this story ;) . Couldn't really think of a way to continue after all...

Mary could hardly believe that she had spent a year in London already. The air was getting cooler and more crisp and a lot of things had changed since she left New York. She was beginning to form a new life now. She smiled up at the still warm october sun, closed her eyes and thought about how utterly happy she was. 

Mary had been living at Alfies place ever since she was attacked by Aaron. Eventually she just packed her things and moved in since she didn’t use her flat. Coming there filled her with bad memories and picking up her keys to unlock the door made her feel sick every time. There was no way she could stay there anymore.

She was completely happy spending her time in the town house with Alfie and Cyril, even inviting Rachel and Vanna over on regular occasions and it didn’t bother her one bit living together with a man without being married. She had tried it once and being married didn’t make her feel half as safe as living with Alfie. 

Speaking of….

“What are ya thinking of love?” Alfie entered the kitchen where Mary was sitting with her cup of tea now getting cold… She smiled. “Just thinking about how happy I am” 

He bent over and kissed her on the cheek. Wrapped his arms around her from behind and kept hugging her while kissing her on all the places he could reach. 

“I’m gonna kiss every fucking freckle off of ya pretty little face if I can just keep ya happy, right”

Then he suddenly looked got a serious look on his face, turned fronting her and looked her straight in the eyes. 

“look, I wasn’t gonna do this since ya don’t have the best experience with fucking husbands and all….” Alfie scratched his beard and looked awfully uncomfortable. 

“But I’m planning to let ya give me at least a handful of sons… or daughters... “ he laughed, showing his adorable smile with the front tooth sticking out. “And I don’t want them growing up to fucking bastards now do I?”

“get to the point Alfie so you can start kissing me again” Mary pouted, trying her best to look annoyed

“Right… right… I’m gonna do this properly and get down on me knee even though it fucking hurts”. Alfie got down on the kitchen floor with a grunt. 

“I lova ya Mary, and…” he stroke her swollen belly and looked up to her, tears already coming down her cheeks. “Will ya marry me?”


End file.
